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Beauty and the Beast, Happy Endings and Touch among TV shows ‘on the bubble’

Kristin Kreuk as Catherine and Jay Ryan as Vincent in Beauty and the Beast, a CW show that is in danger of not being renewed, a.k.a. "on the bubble."
(Sven W. Frenzel / THE CW)

By Bill BriouxThe Canadian Press

Fri., April 19, 2013

If you’re a TV programmer, this time of year is not for wimps.

That’s especially true this spring in Canada, where game plans that have worked for decades are suddenly obsolete. The simple simulcast-your-way-to-riches import strategy is no longer such a sure thing.

Netflix, The Walking Dead, the rapid penetration of PVRs, plus streaming and on-demand services that are sometimes ahead of broadcast are putting more and more power in the hands of consumers. Even as industry players are lining up before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to argue that their services should be “must carry,” consumers are saying “you must be kidding” as they embrace a new age of freedom and choice when it comes to viewing.

Coupled with a bad year in U.S. network offerings, Canadian programmers heading to Hollywood next month for the annual L.A. screenings are taking more of a “show me” stance.

Still, hits are hits, and as long as commercials are being sold, programmers at CTV, Global, City and others will look to fill holes in their schedules with shows they think will break through next year.

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First, however, they have to know where those holes are. Heading into the final weeks of the season (some shows air season finales this Sunday, such as CBC’s Republic of Doyle), a number of series are “on the bubble” as to whether they’ll be renewed or cancelled.

CBC, out of the import game, has already announced that all their regular season offerings will be back in 2013-14. The private networks are standing by to see which of the following imports — which all have a Canadian connection — they’ll be sticking with next season.

Arrow: This Vancouver production, starring Toronto-native Stephen Amell, was renewed for a second CW season way back in February. A comic book bull’s-eye.

Beauty and the Beast: Shot in Toronto and starring Vancouver native Kristin Kreuk, the series drew less than a million viewers April 12 in the U.S. and an estimated overnight 39,000 the same night on Showcase in Canada. Those are beastly numbers, although it may survive if the CW axes an even lower-rated series, The Carrie Diaries.

The Following: B.C. native Shawn Ashmore should still have a job next season on this dark Fox drama, which is settling in behind Bones on Monday nights. The Following is doing very well on CTV, where it drew more than 1.3 million viewers last Monday night. It’s also one of the most-tracked series on social media. The season finale airs April 29.

Cult: This Vancouver-based drama was dead on arrival, pulled off the CW schedule after two episodes earlier this month.

Hannibal: This made-in-Mississauga drama has been going down well with viewers, capturing close to five million last Thursday in the U.S. While that’s not a high number, it was the biggest draw of the night on low-rated NBC, especially among adults 18 to 49. An estimated overnight 418,000 caught it on City the same night. The website TV By The Numbers scores it “certain for renewal.”

Happy Endings: If you had a hard time finding Elisha Cuthbert’s spicy comedy on ABC’s schedule this season you weren’t alone. It’s almost certain to be cancelled by ABC, although there are rumblings Sony is prepared to shop it to a U.S. cable network. Hey, it worked for Cougar Town.

Nikita: Shot in Toronto, this is another CW series languishing on Friday nights, where it has sunk to around a million viewers a week. Could survive only because the CW can’t replace everything.

Once Upon a Time: When it isn’t in reruns or a clip show, as it has been for about a month, this Vancouver-based fantasy/drama is a steady draw for ABC. It does even better on CTV despite being pre-released out of simulcast at 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Revolution: Despite a prolonged hiatus, this apocalyptic NBC drama, featuring Winnipeg-born Tracy Spiridakos, seems a good bet to return next season. It’s a gain over NBC’s score in the Monday time period last season and ranks among TV’s top time-shifted series. The season finale is set to air June 3.

Touch: After a delayed start to the season, Kiefer Sutherland’s second-year drama about a father and his special needs son seems to have lost its touch, sinking below three million viewers a week. It didn’t help that it was buried on Fridays. There are media reports Sutherland is already eyeing his next gig. Touch airs its season finale April 26.

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